New Arrangements
by elsiecarson
Summary: Clarisse and Joseph haven't been married long, but Joseph is seeing Clarisse less and less. Mia is getting married to Nicholas and so Clarisse is trying to help her plan. Mia is stressed out and nervous and so is Clarisse. Joseph decides they need to get away for a while.
1. Alone Again

Clarisse still found it odd to roll over in the middle of the night and be in someone's arms. Because it was Joseph, however, it was always easier and she was getting better about not being so nervous. This particular night Joseph had gone to bed far earlier than Clarisse and when she walked into the bedroom he was fast asleep and snoring gently with the blankets down around his waist. Clarisse smiled as she pulled the blankets up to cover Joseph. She was used to him snoring now, though she had trouble with it at first, even though Rupert used to snore.

Clarisse entered the closet and changed into her pyjamas. She walked back into the bedroom and saw Joseph curled into the fluffy duvet. She hated to fling the covers back and get into bed; it would let the cold air in and would probably wake Joseph up. Clarisse considered staying on the settee, but then decided she would be in as much trouble if she did that as she would if she woke Joseph up. Clarisse padded silently, in bare feet, across the room and jumped into bed. As predicted she managed to wake Joseph up just as she pulled the covers up and sunk into her pillow.

"Where have you been?" Joseph asked as he rolled over to face Clarisse. "I was expecting you to be in bed hours ago."

"I had some paperwork to finish. It took me longer than I thought it was going to." Clarisse said this as she slipped her arm around Joseph's waist and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep, Joseph, I'll see you in the morning."

"Can't we talk for a minute? I've hardly seen you all day. You've been so busy planning Mia's wedding that I've hardly seen you for a whole week." Joseph reached out and pulled Clarisse very close to him.

Clarisse yawned into Joseph's chest as he spoke. "What do you want to talk about? Why do you want to talk now? It's two in the morning and I'm tired. We'll talk over breakfast tomorrow." Clarisse laid her head in the crook of Joseph's arm and tried to go to sleep. The sound of Joseph's heart beating always helped her sleep.

Joseph smiled as Clarisse fell asleep. She looked so angelic. He could hardly be angry with her. He smoothed her hair back off her face and sank down into the bed with his chin on the top of Clarisse's head. Clarisse rolled over carefully in her sleep and Joseph's hand came to rest on her stomach.


	2. I Made Breakfast!

When Joseph woke up the next morning Clarisse was already gone. So much for talking over breakfast this morning he thought bitterly. This was all getting a bit out of hand for him. Clarisse is meant to be retired.

Just as he had finished thinking this Clarisse walked into the bedroom carrying a breakfast tray. "I thought I'd try my hand at making you breakfast this morning since you and I haven't spent much time together recently."

Joseph was instantly worried. Clarisse never cooked; he wasn't even sure she knew how to cook. He took a hesitant sniff and when the food on the tray smelled edible and there was no burnt smell he allowed her to set the tray over his knees and sit next to him.

"I saw the look on your face when I said I'd cooked; you didn't think I could, did you? I'm hurt." Clarisse said indignantly. She knows him too well.

"It's not that I don't think you can't I know you can't cook judging from all your previous disasters in the kitchen which the staff always has to clean up." Joseph smiled as he leaned over and kissed Clarisse on the top of her head.

"Well I managed to not burn anything or mutilate any body parts or destroy any cooking utensils or anything else in the kitchen." Clarisse said in a melancholy tone of voice as she crossed her arms across her chest. "I can manage when I need to and besides this is sort of an apology for not spending as much time with you as I should have over the past week."

"I know you just want Mia's wedding to be perfect. I understand. After all Mia is your only grandchild you are absolutely entitled to spoil her, but you must also remember to spoil yourself and your husband every once in a while." Joseph dropped his arm around Clarisse's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"What do you think I'm doing right now? Lift the lid on your breakfast and you'll see how much I'm spoiling you." Clarisse smiled her big, beaming, cheeky smile and Joseph couldn't help but respond. She was beautiful when she smiled. She was beautiful always, but most of all when she smiled.

"All right. What sort of treat do you have for me? It's probably something I shouldn't be eating isn't it?" Joseph looked at Clarisse quizzically and she just shrugged her shoulders in a very elegant manner. Joseph lifted the lid from his breakfast and steam issued from the plate. When it cleared Joseph saw his two favourite breakfast foods in the entire world: eggs Benedict and Belgian waffles with whipped cream and peaches. He smiled in spite of trying not to give anything away.

"See, I told you you'd like it, didn't I?" Clarisse smiled at Joseph as he beamed at her. "I thought I'd try and make up for leaving you on your own so often this week and I promise I'm almost finished all the planning. We will have much more time together very soon. You may even get sick of having me around."

"That's good to hear. I've missed waking up with you in my arms in the morning and going to bed with you kissing my lips. You and I were just getting really close and then this whole wedding shower and wedding thing came up and I've hardly seen you since. I don't even really know what's going on with you any more. I will never get sick of having you around."

Clarisse was only partly listening. Everything Joseph was saying to her she'd already said to herself a lot recently. Instead of fully listening she was cutting Joseph's waffle into pieces for him. When he opened his mouth to say something else she shoved a piece of waffle into his mouth so he didn't have time to say anything. "Now tell me I can't cook." Clarisse said cheekily as Joseph sank back on the pillows apparently in awe of the deliciousness of the dish he'd just tasted.

"I swear I will never criticize your culinary skills again. The Belgian waffle is divine, but let's see if you can make eggs Benedict. I happen to know that Hollandaise sauce is notoriously easy to mess up." Joseph gave Clarisse a pinch on the nose as he cut off a small piece of his main dish. He's teasing her. He already knows her Hollandaise is fine since it hasn't separated yet.

"Well, do you approve or do I have to take a course on making eggs Benedict?" Clarisse asked teasing Joseph just a little. She knew that he'd gone to culinary school for a year when he was younger at his mother's insistence since he grew up with sisters..

Joseph smiled at her with his mouth full and a smear of Hollandaise sauce on his cheek. Clarisse reached out and removed the blob of sauce and swallowed it; she was still waiting for Joseph's response. "It's wonderful. The sauce is very smooth and not separated. You've done a good job as usual, Clarisse." Joseph took her hand in his and kissed the palm of it.

"Well, as long as the master approves I guess I'm a good cook." Clarisse smiled and jumped off the bed and walked to the closet.

"Where are you going? You haven't eaten yet." Joseph wanted Clarisse to stay with him a while longer. He'd missed her a lot and after all she should have the chance to eat some of her own creation.

"I've already had the same thing for breakfast, but if you want me to stay with you for a bit why in the world didn't you say so." Clarisse said as she ran across the room and jumped on the bed. She was looking for an excuse to stay and not go and start on more wedding plans.

"Careful," Joseph cried. "Don't you dare spill my breakfast or my orange juice. Orange juice is notoriously sticky and very difficult to get out of things. Just you watch what you taking a flying leap towards next time."

"I beg you pardon, Your Royal Highness. You certainly have fit into your role well, Joseph. That harsh tone of voice was almost believable." Clarisse giggled as she settled herself and leaned against the headboard. She knows he didn't mean one word of what he just said. He's not like that at all.

"Oh, I'm glad you caught the sarcasm in that phrase. I remembered Rupert's tone of voice he used towards the servants and I tried to see if I could replicate it. It's not really me though." Joseph said calmly as he continued eating his breakfast.

"No, that tone isn't you at all Joseph. You're far too polite to speak to anybody that way and I thank heaven for that every day." Clarisse says seriously.


	3. It's All Up to You

A knock on the door interrupted the happy couple for a moment. "Drat," said Clarisse. "Someone's finally noticed that I'm not working and they've come to drag me away."

"They can't drag you anywhere yet you're not dressed." Joseph said calmly. "Come in," he called to the person at the door.

"Grandma where have you been? There's so much to do and you're in here having breakfast! How could you!" Mia had come in to the room and started talking right away. She was stressed out enough as it was without having to look all over for her grandmother.

"Amelia at some point you have to take ownership of your own wedding after all it's not me getting married this time." Clarisse sighed as she got up off the bed and went over to her granddaughter.

"Why do I have to take ownership of my wedding right this minute though? I don't even know what I'm doing. This is all so stressful!" Mia flung herself onto the end of her grandmother's bed and then looked at Joseph who was chuckling at the scene going on before him. "What's so funny?" Mia asked demandingly.

"You are," Joseph said as he moved the breakfast tray and sat next to Mia on the bed. "You take everything so seriously. This is not a session of parliament. This is your wedding and you can do whatever you want. It is your special day with Nicholas. These aren't decisions your grandmother and I should be making."

"Well why didn't someone just say that in the first place! That would have made life a whole lot easier! Thanks Joe! Never mind grandma you stay here with Joe. I'll call you if I need you." Mia was off as quickly as she had come and the room was quiet again. Everything made sense to Mia for the moment, but Clarisse knew that she'd probably need help at some point.

"You're a miracle worker Joseph. I've been saying the same thing to her for weeks and she didn't listen. You always manage to keep her calm. Thank you." Clarisse snuggled into Joseph's open arms as she spoke. Her granddaughter always managed to exhaust her completely and utterly, but Clarisse loved her all the same.

"She just gets so frazzled when she's doing everything and she doesn't see how easy she can make it for herself. She just needs to remember that this wedding is for her and Nicholas and the two of them only. It doesn't even really matter what we think, Clarisse, just as long as she's happy with how everything turns out." Joseph rubbed his hands up and down Clarisse's back.

"Where was your good advice when I got married? I was about as stressed as Mia just was and I had Rupert's mother and my mother to deal with. I nearly went nuts." Clarisse sighed remembering that time in her life. "It looks like we have the day to ourselves now because Mia has figured out she can do everything on her own. What do you want to do?"

"I think we should go riding out to the old cottage I used to stay in and spend the day there. There are a few things I need to collect anyways that I didn't go back for after we got married. What do you say?"

"That sounds wonderful Joseph. I'll go with you as long as I don't have to cook any more today. You're difficult to cook for." Clarisse leaned back against Joseph's chest as she spoke.

"No more cooking for you I promise. In fact I'll cook today. I happen to have a wonderful recipe for pasta with marinara sauce which I know you prefer over any Alfredo sauce. We'll have a nice quiet, calm, relaxing day and we won't tell Mia where we're going. She'll have to fend for herself for today." Joseph smiled as Clarisse sighed in his arms. It was exactly what she needed and they both knew it.

"What do I wear? Just something casual I suppose?" Clarisse asked as she looked up at Joseph.

"Something that you're willing to get dusty and something you can go riding in. I haven't been back to the cottage since we got married so I suspect it's quite dusty." Joseph said as he ran his fingers through Clarisse's hair.

"I'm sure the designers would be appalled if I wandered into such a situation in a designer outfit. I think I may have a pair of jeans and an old sweater lying around somewhere." Clarisse thinks carefully.

"That's perfect. That's all you need. Let's get dressed and then we'll ride over. Please, promise me you'll actually follow me this time. You don't know where you're going." Joseph says cheekily.

"Alright, I promise, and that was only once. I'm not a rule follower and I hated being constantly watched at that point, although I did discover being watched by you wasn't so bad."Clarisse teases her husband.

"No, you're right following rules is not your strong suit, but you did get better with me around. My predecessor warned me about you, but you clearly like me better." Joseph teases back.


End file.
